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Pandemic Year Likely Deadliest One Ever For Drug Overdoses In Ohio
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Last year is likely to have been the deadliest year for drug overdoses ever in Ohio, according to a projection from the CDC.
Ohio is projected to report 5,215 drug deaths last year, more than 14 Ohioans a day – breaking the record set with 4,854 deaths in 2017.
That’s almost a 22% increase from the CDC’s 2019 Ohio number, and the fourth largest total among all states. And the CDC notes this projection is an underestimate based on provisional data.
Drug overdoses were largely expected as an impact of the pandemic – and the CDC data suggests overdose increases in all states.
Most of those drug overdoses involved opioids, with the especially deadly drug fentanyl to be the biggest concern.
The Ohio Department of Health is expected to put out its drug overdose death count later this year. Previous drug death totals: